Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer and music executive. Known for his dark production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip-hop and trap music. His frequent collaborators include Big Sean, Future, Young Thug, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, 21 Savage, Gucci Mane, Gunna, and Nav.
Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Wayne began his career in music production in 2009 at the age of 16.[2] He relocated to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College in 2011, during which he worked extensively with Atlanta-based artists including Future, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Gucci Mane, and Migos.[2] Wayne gained wider recognition for co-producing the 2014 single "Tuesday" for iLoveMakonnen, which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He was credited on a string of similarly successful singles throughout 2016, including "Jumpman" by Drake and Future, "Low Life" by Future, and his first number-one production, "Bad and Boujee" by Migos. This was followed by the diamind-certified (14x platinum) "Congratulations" by Post Malone, "Tunnel Vision" by Kodak Black, "Mask Off" by Future, "Bank Account" by 21 Savage, and his second number-one production, "Heartless" by the Weeknd.[3][4]
As a non-performing lead artist, Wayne's debut studio album, Not All Heroes Wear Capes (2018) and its follow-up, Heroes & Villains (2022) both debuted atop the Billboard 200, along with his two collaborative albums with Future: We Don't Trust You (2024) and We Still Don't Trust You (2024). Heroes & Villains spawned the single "Creepin" (with the Weeknd and 21 Savage), which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and within the top ten of several countries. We Don't Trust You spawned the single "Like That" (with Future and Kendrick Lamar), which became his first number-one song on the chart as a lead performer. In addition, he has released the collaborative projects Savage Mode (2016) and Savage Mode II (2020) with 21 Savage, DropTopWop (2017) with Gucci Mane, Perfect Timing (2017) with Nav, and Double or Nothing (2017) with Big Sean.[5]
Early life
Leland Tyler Wayne was born on September 16, 1993, in St. Louis, Missouri,[6] where he attended Parkway North High School. He has four siblings.[7] After a brief stint playing bass guitar in his middle school band, he turned to making beats in the seventh grade at age 13. This happened when his mother bought him a laptop and he got a copy of the music production software FL Studio, then known as FruityLoops.[8] Metro is mostly self-taught and in high school, he produced five beats a day.[9] Initially, Wayne wanted to rap, and started making beats so that he could have music to rap over. However, he eventually turned his full attention toward hip-hop production.[10] As he continued to hone his production skills in high school, he began to utilize social media platforms including Twitter to network with more established rap artists, as well as beat submissions for potential music placements.[11]
Career
2009–2012: Career beginnings
During high school, Wayne's mother would often drive him for over eight hours from St. Louis to Atlanta, Georgia, to collaborate with artists he met with online.[12] One of the first artists he worked with was Bricksquad Monopoly rapper Tay Don, which led to Wayne's acquaintance with label cohorts OJ da Juiceman and Gucci Mane. He soon met Atlanta-based rapper Future, who became one of his frequent collaborators.[10][13] Upon his high school graduation, Wayne moved to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College, studying Business Management. He took a hiatus from school after one semester, due to the struggle of balancing his production and schoolwork.[13]
Wayne has worked extensively with rapper Future. The two first worked together on the song "Hard", which was included on DJ Esco's mixtape Welcome 2 Mollyworld (2012),[14] mixtape,[8] and following Future's debut album Pluto (2012), they reunited for his second, Honest (2014). Wayne produced the album's lead single, "Karate Chop", and title track alongside DJ Spinz.[15]
2013–2016: Rise to fame
In May 2013, Metro announced his debut mixtape, 19 & Boomin.[16] Following warm-up singles, featuring artists like Trinidad James, Gucci Mane, and others, Metro released the mixtape, hosted by mixtape website LiveMixtapes, on October 7, 2013.[17] The mixtape, all original songs, included "Maison Margiela", featuring Future, and "Some More", featuring Young Thug, both of which were subsequently released as music videos.[18][19]
In March 2014, Metro and Young Thug announced that they would release a collaborative album, performed and released under the moniker "Metro Thuggin". The album was to be self-titled and was planned to be released sometime in 2015. Along with the announcement, Metro Thuggin released the collaborative track, "The Blanguage".[20] The 'Metro Thuggin' project was ultimately scrapped. Photographer Cam Kirk claims to have a copy of the complete, finished album. A few leaked tracks from the project were found circulating the internet in late 2015, yet an official mixtape has never surfaced.[21]
In 2014, Metro made an appearance on Nicki Minaj's third studio album, The Pinkprint, producing the track "Want Some More".[22]
In October 2014, Metro executive produced Future's Monster mixtape. This spawned the first appearance of the single "Fuck Up Some Commas". Metro produced the sixth single from Future's Honest, "I Won", which features Kanye West.[23] The song became a single a month after the album was released.
Metro served as executive producer for Drake and Future's collaborative mixtape What a Time to Be Alive, released on September 20, 2015. In addition, he produced or co-produced seven of the 11 tracks on the mixtape.[24]
2017: Perfect Timing, Without Warning, Double or Nothing
On June 23, 2017, Metro helped Christian rapper Lecrae and 1k phew on the song ' 'hammer time ' ' On July 14, 2017, Metro and fellow record producer and rapper Nav released two singles, "Perfect Timing (Intro)" and "Call Me", the dual lead singles from their collaborative mixtape, Perfect Timing. The mixtape was released by Boominati Worldwide, XO, and Republic Records, one week later, on July 21. It features guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Offset of Migos, 21 Savage, Belly, and Gucci Mane.[26]
On October 31, 2017, Metro and rappers 21 Savage and Offset released their collaborative studio album, Without Warning, as a surprise release. On the same day, "Ric Flair Drip", performed by Metro and Offset was released as the lead single. The album features guest appearances from Travis Scott and Quavo of Migos.[27]
On November 3, 2017, Metro and rapper Big Sean released a single titled "Pull Up n Wreck", featuring rapper 21 Savage, the lead single from their collaborative studio album, Double or Nothing. The project was released on December 8, 2017. It features guest appearances from Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, 21 Savage, Kash Doll, Young Thug, and Swae Lee. On February 13, 2018, "So Good", featuring Kash Doll became the lead single.[28]
2018–2021: Not All Heroes Wear Capes and Savage Mode II
In January 2018, Metro Boomin was featured in a Gap campaign with singer SZA, alongside a self-produced remix of "Hold Me Now".[29][30] The remix was released to digital platforms on the same day as the campaign.[31][32] In an interview with XXL, explaining the campaign with Gap and the remix, he stated;
To remix the song, it was really about the [original] track leading the direction, I kept the rhythm of the song more uptempo, more of their style, with that old-school feel. But I put the 808s on it just to have that bounce. It was about mixing both worlds but not really losing the essence of the original.[30]
In April 2018, Metro Boomin announced his "retirement" from rap on his Instagram page, changing his bio to "Retired record producer/DJ".[33] However, he since garnered production credits on Nicki Minaj's fourth studio album Queen, as well as Minaj's labelmate Lil Wayne, on his twelfth studio album, Tha Carter V, which both debuted in the top 2 of the Billboard 200.
On September 29, 2020, Metro and 21 Savage announced their fourth collaborative project, Savage Mode II, a sequel to their EP, Savage Mode (2016). It features guest appearances from Drake, Young Thug, and Young Nudy. On October 13, 2020, the dual lead singles became "Runnin" and "Mr. Right Now", the latter of which features Drake.[40] The album was released on October 2, 2020, and debuted atop on the Billboard 200 chart, earning both artists their second number-one albums, which were also back-to-back for both artists.[41]
2022–2023: Heroes & Villains and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Metro Boomin in 2023
On November 22, 2022, Metro announced the title of his upcoming second studio album: Heroes & Villains, which released on December 2.[42] On November 30, he released an accompanying short film preview for the album. The film was directed by Gibson Hazard and featured appearances by Metro, Gunna, LaKeith Stanfield, Morgan Freeman, and Young Thug.
2024–present: We Don't Trust You and We Still Don't Trust You
On March 22, 2024, Metro released We Don't Trust You, a collaborative studio album with Future.[50] The album contained guest appearances from The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Kendrick Lamar, and Rick Ross. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with the biggest opening week of 2024 at the time of its release. A single from the album, "Like That" with Kendrick Lamar, was quickly met with commercial success, debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100, Global 200, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts simultaneously. It was both Future and Lamar's third number-one single on the former chart, and Metro's first as a credited artist.
Specializing in the trap sub-genre of hip-hop, Metro Boomin utilizes a distinctive mix of heavy bass, rattling synthetic percussion and dark, gothic melodies.[53] He usually produces songs for hip-hop, although he produced four tracks for Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd's fourth studio album, After Hours (2020);[54] in addition, he has also remixed pop songs such as "Hold Me Now" (produced as a Gap marketing collaboration).[30]
Producer tags
In hip-hop, producers may choose to mark their work with a producer tag, a catchy shout-out usually placed at the beginning of a song which allows listeners to recognize and appreciate certain producers. Metro has been credited for making this technique more compelling on specific tracks.[55]
His first producer tag was "This beat is so, so Metro" and it was used in songs like "Karate Chop (Remix)", "Ugly" by Soulja Boy and "Chanel Vintage" in 2013–2014.
One of Metro's more viral tags, "Metro Boomin want some more, nigga",[56] originates from vocals of the Boomin-produced song "Some More" by Young Thug, and received widespread attention in early 2016.
Metro's most prominent and iconic tag "If Young Metro don't trust you I'm gon' shoot you" is performed by Future. The origin of the tag comes from the song "Right Now" by Uncle Murda, also produced by Boomin. The tag appeared first in Drake and Future's 2015 song, "Jumpman" from the collaborative mixtape What a Time to Be Alive,[57] and gained widespread attention after its use in the Kanye West song "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1".[58]
Another well-known tag is "Young Metro, young Metro, young Metro" spoken by his longtime collaborator Future. Boomin' often references "3x" or "Young Metro 3x" as a nod to this particular tag.[59]
Another one of Metro's tags is just "Metro!", originally spoken by Young Thug on his song "Hercules". The tag can be most prominently heard at the beginning of the Metro produced song "Mr. Right Now" by 21 Savage and Drake, off the tape Savage Mode II, as well as appearing various times in Heroes & Villains.[citation needed]. The tag was featured extensively on Metro's soundtrack album Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. This tag was also recently used in the "Re-OG" Fortnite lobby music which went viral on social media.
Metro's latest tag "Metro in this bitch goin' crazy" can be heard in the track 'More M's' from 21 Savage's and Drake's album Her Loss. The tag originated from the track "No Opp Left Behind" from Savage Mode II.[citation needed]
Personal life
Wayne's mother, Leslie Joanne Wayne, was killed in a murder-suicide by her husband on June 3, 2022.[60][61] Later that year, Wayne partnered with the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation to launch the "Single Moms Are Superheroes" initiative.[62] The program provides financial assistance, community resources, and family programming for single mothers in the greater Metro Atlanta area.[63]
In August 2024, Wayne announced the "Leslie Joanne Single Moms Are Superheroes" grant-giving program. In conjunction with Wayne and Future's We Trust You Tour, the grant offered $20,000 and concert tickets to non-profit organizations supporting single mothers in each city on the tour.[65][66]
Sexual assault allegations
On October 29, 2024, Wayne was sued for sexual assault of a woman, named Vanessa LeMaistre, which allegedly happened in Los Angeles in September 2016.[67] In the lawsuit that was filed in the Superior Court of Los Angeles, the woman alleged that she visited the producer at a recording studio in California, where she was given an alcoholic beverage and swallowed half a Xanax, an anxiety medication she was taking after the loss of her son. After consuming both substances, she lost consciousness and woke up in a hotel room in Beverly Hills, while Wayne was raping her. The woman claims she passed out again, and woke up to Wayne performing oral sex on her. A few weeks after the alleged assault, LeMaistre found out she was pregnant and underwent an abortion due to her deteriorating mental health. The lawsuit also refers to the lyrics of a song "Rap Saved Me" by 21 Savage, Offset, Metro Boomin and Quavo, which include the lines: “She took a Xanny, then she fainted/ I’m from the gutter, ain’t no changing/ From the gutter, rap saved me/ She drive me crazy, have my baby.” The woman believes the lyrics recount the alleged assault and resulting pregnancy. It also points to tweets posted by Wayne, including the deleted ones, that are indicative of "his intentions to hurt women".[68][69][70] One of the tweets quoted in the lawsuit appears to refer to sexual activity under the influence of a party drug, MDMA: "She gon suck me whether she like it or not. That’s what the molly for."[71] LeMaistre is seeking compensation for mental anguish and legal punishment for Wayne.[72]
Wayne's lawyer, Lawrence Hinkle II, denied the accusations and said Wayne will defend himself in court, and "file a claim for malicious prosecution once he prevails." In response to Hinkle's statement, Michael J. Willemin, one of LaMaistre's attorneys, said that "making defamatory remarks is not going to help Metro Boomin’s case".[73][74]
Boominati Worldwide is a record label founded by Wayne in June 2017. It was launched as an imprint of Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group. That same month, Wayne stated that:
"Launching Boominati Worldwide is the next step in my career as a producer, an artist and a businessman. I created the label to represent a collective of highly gifted individuals who have the shared gift of being able to influence the world through culture and art".[75]
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